Theme 4 - Influencing institutions

The distance between young people and democratic institutions is a matter of concern. Not only young people’s exclusion from political party leadership and electoral participation leads to distortions in political arbitrations but they also set a trend towards an ever greater democratic deficit and de-legitimation of democratic institutions. In some cases, political institutions adapt and create structures to include young people, in form of, for example, the Young Mayor Programme or Youth Parliaments. In other cases, young people try to reform institutions from outside, assembling on the streets or using the internet and social networks to express their demands.

Labs of theme 4

THEME 4 - Influencing institutions

Among young people, there is a rising abstention from electoral politics. How can trust in elected officials be re-build? Is election training enough to revive youth’s interest to vote or is the model of representative democracy outdated and needs to be reformed?

For the generation of ‘digital natives’, the internet has become the most important space for political debate. However, the transformative potential of an online public sphere is not yet transformed into action by traditional offline democracy. Can youth build a bridge between the two spheres by ‘hacking’ democracy?

When young people have the feeling to be excluded from decision-making, they take their demands to the streets. Social movements are said to be the drivers for system change but how can we sustain their impact? What are the challenges and prospects for social movements to influence democratic structures?

Are youth parliaments an effective tool to increase the participation and impact of young people in decision-making or do they only create an appearance of inclusiveness while politicians fail to act upon young people’s ideas?